I’ve always had a thing for babies, just ask my Aunt Tammy. She had five and I was in love with each and every one of them. One of my favorite childhood memories is spending quality time at my grandparents’ home, chatting with my aunt while she rocked and nursed each of her sweet babies. I loved witnessing the bond that was created between my aunt and her children, their milk-drunk smiles, and how important it was to nurture each little life with love.

 

I grew up I knowing I wanted to have a career that supported children, and teaching became my goal. I graduated from the University of Findlay with a bachelor's degree in early childhood education and went on to teach third grade at my childhood elementary school. That was until I met the love of my life and decided I wanted to move to Columbus to be closer to him. We got married - had a beautiful baby boy and I became a stay at home mommy. It was during this time that I began to understand how much support mothers need. Being a new mommy was wonderful, but I had SO many questions, and was always looking for answers.

 

I became very interested in breastfeeding, because I was spending so much time doing it, and I wanted to learn as much as I could about it. This led me to The Center for Breastfeeding to take their training to become a Certified Lactation Counselor. I have fallen in love with this line of work; it is such a special honor to help families grow in confidence in how they are nourishing their babes.

 

When I became pregnant with our second son, I knew I wanted the presence and support of a doula at our birth. I was also interested in becoming that support and presence for other families. I took a DONA- approved birth doula training in April 2013. It was a beautiful experience and I knew this was the direction I wanted to take my career. I realized through both my trainings that a lactation and doula support business would work well with my strengths, my goals, and my family. It allows me to do the work that I love (hanging out with moms and babies) while furthering my knowledge and understanding of supporting families through the childbearing year.

 

I live in Columbus with my husband (lawyer by day, photographer by night) and my two rambunctious, energetic, creative boys. We have a kitty named Ting Ting who loves it when the boys share snacks with her. When my children are sleeping peacefully in bed, I sneak down stairs to sew, quilt, catch up on editing photos, and watching movies with my husband. I love the friendships I have made through this line of work, and doula craft night is my favorite.  This summer I am adding to my trainings by studying to become a Certified Aromatherapist through Heart of Herbs - Herbal School.